today..

...was quite a good day :)

Went to watch 'London Dreams' today and the experience was amazing. Naah.. it is not the movie.. but it was the first time I watched a movie absolutely alone in the theater. Yes, there was no one except me. I was told to sit wherever I want to.. and I am not sure why but momentarily I was thrilled .. probably because I felt as if I was the king of the place. That royal feeling is pleasing once in a while. Threw my jacket from a distance onto one of the seats at the back and then went on to place my ass on the next one.. college ke TV room waale din yaad aa gaye.. if only CL was here :( :)...

Besides all this royal experience and all, the movie was fine too. It had glimpses of Yaaraana, Rock On and Abhimaan at different levels. If only the songs were good enough, the movie would rank close to the former two probably. And Salman Khan, for once, was tolerable. I don't know if it is the age that has put some sense into him or was it the character that made me tolerate him but he was bearable almost throughout. Oh well, about the character, it can be well summarized by the opening scene of the movie which was something like this- the teacher at school was asking all the students what they want to become when they grow up, the kid who plays Salman as a kid answers, "Masterji, maine to bade hi nahi hona... bade hone mein bade lafde hote hain".. you know why I liked the character, don't you? :D ..

And though not as much as Ghazni, Asin is indeed adorable...

so overall, the movie, in my opinion, is worth a watch.

-----------------------------

After destroying the day after the movie whiling away the time doing random things, I decided to watch another movie,.. "wake up sid" .. this time on the comp, though in an average print.

This movie was absolutely adorable. Wait, did I use that word twice in a single post? I am normally extremely miserly with the use of that word. There is probably something special about the day so let us let it stay that way.

Is movie ke baare mein kya kahoon? Another "kid-like" character in the lead who manages to win the affections of none other than Konkana Sen, who in my opinion is the best actress bollywood has seen.. and seems like an extremely high maintenance girl... wait am I mixing the movie with real life here? Whatever.. I guess it was meant to be that way. :D

Well.. loved this movie and especially the last dialogue. Yes, it is a cliche but it is good to hear it every once in a while..here is what it will roughly translate to..

"Chasing our destinies, we often overlook a lot of little things. So, even if for a short while, just take your eyes off your busy schedule and search for that special feeling.. the feeling that makes the city you live in, the life you live even more beautiful... who knows you might also find a companion, and then all of a sudden you see that life is coming your way"

the world of movies continues to be pleasant.. as always..

PS: Wish all days of life could be summarized on the blog :)

...

It is high time I learn to get over my addictions. Quitting coke today.

Itni shakti humein dena daata, mann ka vishwaas kamzor ho na.. :)

I need a confessional...

When the batakh goes to falak

Was gtalking with a blog friend and together we came up with this crap that we proudly call a poem :D... as you can see there are no stanzas because we were throwing lines alternately ... and your being able to comprehend this depends on your RQ (randomness quotient)

dubluk dubluk publuk publuk paani me uchala ek batakh
phir padosi batakh se bola chal with me till falak

and in attempt to hold pankh to go till falak

poor batakh gaya ek khajoor ke tree pe latak

phir uski padosi batakh ne bola chalo plane me jaate hain

bekaar me kyu hum apne pankh hilate hain

agar pankhon ko denge hum thoda sa rest

to achchha kaam karenge wo in times of test

dono batakh baithe plane me

lekin seat belt fit nahi aaya
male batakh ka achaanak dil aa gaya air hostess pe

aur jab usne airhostess ho dekh ke seeti bajayee

to female batak ne use ek tamacha lagaya

phir aayi akal uski thikane

aur bina banaye koi aur bahane

usne female batak ko saara apna attention diya

aur is tarah unhone plane me falak tak safar kiya

at falak they found another bathak

pati patni ke beech ye "wo" kahaan se aa gaya achaanak

female batak ne ghoor ke dekha toward male batak

aur poocha gusse se, kya chal raha hai ye sab

mujhe kehte ho come with me till falak

and then koi aur is waiting for you idhar ab

male batak bola I don't know what is all this

aur apni loyalty prove karne ke liye usne diya female bathak ko kiss

is par female bathak ko aaya gussa

boli kya ek kiss kar dene se khatam ho jaayega tumhaari bewafaai ka kissa

batak bechara kya karta, itni daant khane ke baad

sochte sochte phir use aa gaya yaad

ki female batak ka gussa ho jayega khatam

usne kaha chalo dairy milk khate hain sanam

kyu ki dairy milk laata hai sabke face pe smile

isliye batak ne with a lot of style

bola ki kuchh baat hai hum sabhi mein

kuchh khaas hai zindagi mein

maana ki ye upar waali lines chori ki hain

par is moment par thi zaroori ye

ye sun ke aa gayi muskaan female batakh ke chehre par

and then they lived happily ever after

Reality/Practicality is severely over-rated

Goli maaro reality ko..
Ki reality bore karti hai
Dreams mein jiyega to hansega kallu, maama, kallu maama

Reality, path mein kaante laakh bichhaaye
Dreams to phir bhi bichhda yaar milaayen

Jitne bhi reality kar le sitam
Hans hans ke sahenge hum
Ye dreams na hongi kam, sanam, teri kasam

Reality to bewafa hai, har ghadi thukraayegi
Dream mehbooba hai, apne saath humko udaayegi
Day-dreaming.. ki ada.. duniya ko jo sikhlaayega,
Wo muqaddar.. ka sikandar.. jaaneman kehlaayega

A classic interview of Marat Safin

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2009-09-02/200909021251925447125.html

While Federer is the phenomenon that has brought beauty to this sport, the sport would be less without Safin. Kehte to bahut log hain but Safin shows you how to live-life-king-size, on-your-own-terms. Kudos.

I would have highlighted the lines that I really liked from the aforementioned interview but the entire thing is a classic. Google for other quotes from the guy, too, if you like.

Something interesting

Received this very interesting forward (in italics below) a few minutes ago from a friend.

"The World of Interpretations: In a worldwide survey, conducted by the United Nations, the only question asked was: "Would you please give your most honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?" The survey was a HUGE failure because:

• In Africa they did not know what "food" meant;

• In Western Europe they did not know what "shortage" meant;

]• In Eastern Europe they did not know what "opinion" meant;

• In the Middle East they did not know what "solution" meant;

• In South America they did not know what "please" meant;

• In Asia they did not know what "honest" meant; and

• In the United States they did not know what "the rest of the world" meant! "

I don't know why but my immediate reaction to this was "I wonder if the 'ekta mein bal' philosophy could help produce the answer to this question if they try to answer it together". Probably that breaking-a-bundle -of -sticks-tied-together analogy does not quite work here. How very limited and applicable-only-in-certain-situations are the lessons that we are taught! How very open to interpretation they are! Sometimes I feel that all doctrines are just a web of words.

Dekh tere insaan ki haalat kya ho gayi bhagwaan

About 10 chess grandmasters including Vishwanathan Anand were in town for a chess tournament this weekend.

As it is I find the whole exercise of taking autographs a little weird, but what I saw was weirder.. A lot of people were taking autographs from Anand's wife...

...Iske aage hum aur kya kahen.

Kya karein kya na karein ye kaisi mushqil haaye..

I don't want to be responsible. I want to be reliable, though. But it seems like 'being responsible' is a pre-requisite for 'being reliable' :( ... Greedy me :D

"Thank You"

The place I live in is a nice place. People are friendly. People are 'helpful'.

This morning, I was running for the bus because it was about to leave in a minute or so. It is no big deal and I could catch the next one too but it would mean I would have to wait for 10 minutes. It is a common practice here that if someone sees you running to catch the bus, they press the button so that the door remains open. Someone did that for me this morning.

After about five minutes, the guy walks up to me and says, "You don't know how to say 'Thank you'. Don't you thank someone if someone helps you. It is not nice. It is not friendly". He was angry.

If you know me, you know I am very miserly about using the 'T' word and the 'S' word as I don't see the need but with strangers I do say those. This moment, in my absent-mindedness, I forgot.

While I do not blame the guy for saying what he did because he was at least honest about how he felt and it is the society that makes us so, this set me thinking for a while. Is that 'thank you' the only reason you help someone? Is that so necessary? Can we not be happy for 'helping' someone without getting the acknowledgment. And anyway, is a mere two words 'Thank you' enough to do justice to any act of kindness?

I read a quote sometime back by Swami Vivekanand which I liked a lot -

"Cut out the word help from your mind. you cannot help; It is blasphemy! You worship. when you give a morsel of food to a dog, you worship the dog as god. he is all, and is in all."

That is the reason, I always use the word 'help' within quotes. If I, as a giver, should believe in this, why should I not, as a recipient.

Jo kiya jaaye ek 'shukriya' sunne ki ummeed mein
Nahi chaahiye aye dost tera wo ehsaan mujhe

[Har baat pe shaayari maarne ki aadat si pad rahi hai :D]

The solitude of prime numbers

Just heard about this book written in Italian last year and which has already been translated in English. The context was this very cool analogy that it draws between prime numbers and individuals, which I put here in my own words, since I don't know the original words right now...

[Prime numbers are these stubborn creatures that are only divisible by 1 and themselves. They get lonelier and lonelier as they move ahead (reference is to arbitrary gaps between primes as their size increases). Even though they get lonely and far apart from the rest of their family, they always eventually find a companion who stays close to them (reference is to the twin prime conjecture).
The tragedy, however, does not end there. Even though these companions are very close to each other, there is this evil force between them that tries its best to keep them apart. (this, of course, refers to the even number between the twin primes)]

...and the absolute lover of analogies that I am, this already attracts me towards this book and I think I should get hold of it soon..

Roland Garros and Wimbledon

The news of the day is that Roger Federer has twin daughters. What would they be called? Any guesses? How about calling them Roland Garros and Wimbledon :P.. after all if Lallu Prasaad Yadav can name his daughter Kursi since she was born in the year he won the elections, why can't Federer? :D

Anyway, congratulations to him :)

How much more wishful can thinking get :)

Someone told me once that "Happiness" often sneaks in through a window you didn't know you had left open. And then I looked all around the house to find that open window. I was about to give up when I suddenly caught sight of an open window. All excited, I rushed towards it and in that excitement, I slapped the window and bang it went. Shut! I tried hard to open it but the magic window that it was, it would not open once it has been shut.

I wish there is another window left open somewhere. No, I am not looking for it any more.

-----------------------------------

I want

Longing to go
Memories to stay

Hope to go
Love to stay

but,


I am listening to this song right now :D

"Ek hi khwaab kayi baar dekha hai maine"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Dz9-GJobk

It is a funny thing about life that..

.. as you reap, so shall you sow.. and most of the times it is even unintentional.

Somehow life manages to make you do things you would have hated at a certain point of time..

Bommarillu

just finished watching this (Telugu) movie (with subtitles of course).. won't write a review here but just want to recommend it to those who like romantics... loved this movie, absolutely... and the female lead character, Hasini is a pleasure to watch... the kind of people i want to see more and more of (remember.. ek aisa jahaan hum banaayein :))!

and yes, I rarely watch non-hindi movies and have hardly watched about 20 or so of them with attention till the end ...

Kisi roz tumse mulaaqaat hogi....

...has been the slogan for 3 years now.. and finally the day has arrived.
Federer meets the history books today, and deservedly so. Finally, the 1st french open.. what a way to get to no. 14...

The Nadals and the Murrays and the Djokovics and the Del Potros.. watch out for the forthcoming Wimbledon... the greatest player in the history of the sport is coming at you to claim his favourite slam with the pressure off him for the first time in his career.. sounds dangerous, doesn't it?

While I do believe, he will win 3-4 more grand slams before he finally bids good-bye to tennis, even if he does not, one thing is settled. Federer is the greatest ever to have played tennis. Period.

And yes, I have always believed that good things come together.. so somehow have this feeling that times are going to change for me for the better in all respects.. so am off to celebrating the moment for now... cheers :)

Passion

Confused se the kuchh log mujhe baarish mein bheegta dekh kar
Aur main hans raha tha unke jannat ko chhatri se dhak lene par

Yaad aaya mujhe khud ka ek Einsteinspired quote kuchh puraana
Ki 'Passion looks just like madness to the observer'

:D

Vaada

Aaj kaha kisi ne ki hai karz ke jaisa
Har ek vaada jo bhi maine kiya hai

Khud se kiya vaada bhi hai karz hi shaayad, magar
Sochta hoon ki ye karz maine diya hai ya liya hai


PS: Today, on orkut ---"Today's fortune: A promise made is a debt unpaid."
Hence, the lines.

Khel

Tarsaana, aur phir achaanak se sab theek kar dena
Dekh ke ki tera banda thak ke haar jaane laga hai

Aye khuda dhoondh ab koi naya khel tu
Ki tera ye waala khel to ab samajh aane laga hai

The little prince

I read this story just now.... highly recommended. Without spoiling a lot, just quoting a few lines from the story. I have a pdf file so, in case you haven't already read it and are interested in reading drop a comment.

"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is
tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

“You talk just like the grown-ups!” That made me a little ashamed. But he went on, relentlessly:
“You mix everything up together... You confuse everything...”


"When you tell grown-ups that you have made a new friend,
they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, “What does his
voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?” Instead, they
demand: “How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much
money does his father make?”


"To forget a friend
is sad. Not every one has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who
are no longer interested in anything but figures..."


"I did not know what to say to him. I felt awkward and blundering. I did not know how I could reach
him, where I could overtake him and go on hand in hand with him once more.
It is such a secret place, the land of tears."

A question

Why is the reference made to "genda phool" in the 'Delhi 6' song? Is there some special property of "genda phool" because of which it has been referred? Mostly it is rose/lotus that is referred to in songs/poetry. Genda phool seems to be quite a unique choice.

crap

"Har koi chaahta hai ik mutthi aasmaan
Har koi dhoondhta hai ik mutthi aasmaan"

but..

"Kabhi kisi ko muqammal jahaan nahi milta
Kahin zameen to kahin aasmaan nahi milta"

so...

if you find the earth slipping from beneath you, you know the reason...

Tag 3

I haven't written almost anything on this blog for quite some time and whatever little that I had, I wasn't sure how crappy it was.. even deleted a mini post yesterday. Want to get back to writing but nothing much to write about.. or maybe the right words aren't there.. So, a tag comes to the rescue.

If you have followed this blog for the last few months (I hope "the trio" still reads :)), you know what the title of the post means. Others... well.. figure it out.

So vibhav wants me to write about little things that piss me off. Just want to mention that most of the time I don't get pissed off but there are many things that can piss me off sometimes. Here are a few among the many....

1. Perfectionism - It is a disease and there are no two ways about it. If you feel uncomfortable seeing a tiny speck of dirt somewhere or are troubled by a comma missing in a text document, you suffer from this disease. It is hard to recover from it. The amount of effort it takes to make something 90% perfect is about one-tenth the amount of effort you need to achieve the remaining 10%. You have to be crazy to do that.

2. Niceties - Repeated use of "thank you" and "sorry" .. saying "nice meeting you" after meeting someone.. saying "take care" as a rule at the end of a conversation.. it is irritating. Yes, I understand that it has been programmed in the individuals so much that it is hard to avoid it but it is not fun. The attitude of 'being nice to everyone because you never know when you might need someone' sucks. Big time.

3. Misleading quotes - Especially those that are popular among kids. A stupid quote can have strange influences on kids. An example - "A friend in need is a friend indeed". If you don't get why I don't like this one, let me know.

4. The rise of expectations as you grow up -That you should behave in a certain manner.. that you should be responsible.. I don't enjoy it

5. Typecasting - Some statements that I keep hearing too often here .. "You are from India, you should like spicy food" or that "you should drink tea" or "you should feel cold" .. pleeeeeaaassseee.

6. In fact any kind of 'shoulds' piss me off e.g. even things like "you are boring if you don't like to travel"

7. Lying/Artificiality - Cliched, I agree. I hate it nonetheless.

8. Degrading the popular - Some people argue against any actor/player/artist/whatever who is the most popular just because he is the most popular. This is also a disease. This thing used to piss me a lot some time back and I have had loads arguments supporting Sachin/SRK/Federer. Not any more, though. Mostly I am able to passively enjoy arguments these days.

9. My weaknesses - Yes, they do. Can't help it. Won't give details, though.

The trio (:D) is already tagged.. so the tag does not pass........

zindagi

Deleted post reappears

Zindagi ko to hamesha hans ke kubool karte hain hum
Par zindagi hai ki soch soch ke kadam badhaati hai

Fitrat kuchh feminine si hai zindagi ki

:D

Khayaalon mein apne kuchh khoya sa hua tha main
Achaanak tezi se ek seb aaya aur tod gaya wo chain of thoughts

Aur tum kehte ho zindagi ke raaz dheere dheere khula karte hain

Tujhse naaraaz nahi zindagi, hairaan hoon main, tere maasoom sawaalon se pareshaan hoon main

Questions! Without answers!!

Why do we not understand others so well to realize what they want/mean/intend?
Why can't we just say out what we feel instead of expecting others to understand us?

Why do we not trust enough and start making strange assumptions when we don't get a reply to a phone call/message/letter/email?
Why do we expect people to understand us when we are just too lazy to reply to a phone call/message/letter/email?

Why can't we suppress our taste buds and eat healthy food always?
Why does all the unhealthy food in the world have to taste so bloody good? :D

Why do we not appreciate the concern/love/care of people around us and keep missing people who are physically far apart?
Why do we feel bad/helpless when some close friend around us says he is missing his old friends/family?

Why is it "distance makes the heart go fonder" when we are thinking about someone and "Out of sight, out of mind" when someone is (not) thinking about us?

Why do we expect people to behave responsibly after a certain age?
Why do we want to shun all responsibilities and stay a kid always?

Why doesn't everyone always remain a kid?

Why isn't everyone happy all the time?

Why does random blabbering feel so good?

Happy New Year

Hanste hanste, kat jaayen raste, zindagi yun hi chalti rahe
Khushi mile ya gham, badlenge na hum, duniya chaahe badalti rahe

Jambool

Jambool is hiring.

In times when the job market is going through an absolute low, this will be very good news for many, I guess. So, if you know of someone who might be interested and is good enough, just pass on the info. It might be a very easy 1500 dollars for you.

For more info, leave a comment here or on the blog post at the above link.. or write to
vikas AT jambool DOT com

...

An attempt at Triveni, that also reflects the current state of mind. Actually it is more the latter than the former. Gulzaar Sir, maaf karna :D


Kuchh waqt se zindagi kuchh bhatak si rahi thi
Najaane kahaan se achaanak aashiyaan mil gaya

Upar kahin kisi ko shaayad taras aa raha tha!

What Lata doesn't have and Asha does!

[Disclaimer: This post, I guess, is going to invite a lot of aggressive opposition. Let me make it very clear in the beginning that this post suffers from exaggeration which is the most fun part of any conversation :) .. might have a few personal remarks too, but then personal remarks against isn't too bad , is it? The probability that any of them is going to come to read my blog is almost zero. Also, Lata is one of my favourite singers .. she comes 4th on my list, after Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Shreya Ghoshal in that order. Aur aisa nahi hai ki I don't believe that everyone has a right to have their own choice etc etc etc, par bas aaj mood aaya hai bakwaas karne ka! ]

Log mujhse poochhte hain, why Asha is preferred over Lata. Kuchh gustaakh log to ye bhi poochh lete hain ki why Kishore and not Rafi. Koi batlaaye ki hum batlaayen kya? While even trying to the latter would be too much of an insult to Kishore Da, I will make an attempt to answer the first one. Just to seal the debate once and for all. At least seal my opinion about it. Mujhe tark right time pe soojhta nahi hai na, isliye likh dena achchha hai :)

So what does Asha have that Lata doesn't? Ok, lets start this way! What are the best Lata songs you can think of. I know it is hard to choose but here is a very small sample set of what comes to my mind immeditately - "Jab Pyaar kiya to darna kiya", "Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai", "Aaj kal paon zameen par nahi padte mere", "Dikhaayi diye yun ki bekhud kiya", "Humne dekhi hai in aankhon ki mehekti khushbu", "Baahon mein chale aao", "Zindagi pyaar ka geet hai" (Note that I am not being unfair and these are among my favorites). While all these are absolute gems, I think a lot of other people deserve more credit than Lata for these - the sheer grace and the amazing expressions of the actresses on which they have been picturised make some of them very special e.g. "Jab Pyaar kiya to darna kiya", "Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai", "Baahon mein chale aao" or the sheer brilliance of Gulzar and gang (i.e. the lyricists) is what makes these special more than the singing. Would these have been less special if Asha had sung them. I don't think so. I cannot think of any Lata song which can generate the Oh-my-God-I-can't-believe-this feeling just for the way it is sung. Not one. Kishore does that to me quite often. Asha does it so very often too. One should listen to "Ye hai reshmi zulfon ka... " or "Chhoti si kahaani se..." to get what I mean.

Maza nahi aa raha, nahi? Let's get a little personal, as we promised :D

Have a look at Lata's personal life section on her wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lata_Mangeshkar

What do you find about her personal life? This is what I find

"Lata Mangeshkar was born a Konkani Marathi speaking family in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, which then used to be in Central India Agency and is now in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother, Shudhhamati, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, BhaawBandhan.^[2] Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Hridayanath, Asha, Usha, and Meena are her siblings in sequence.

Lata took her first music lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (sangeet naatak in Marathi). Her father's recitals and lessons left a strong impression on her, as did the songs of K.L. Saigal, who was her favorite singer and idol. Her formal education was limited to one day in the school. On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school."

Sounds quite boring. What did you say? "That's it!???" Exactly. What has Lata's life been about? What exactly? Singing, and singing, and singing. Some call it dedication? Their choice :)

Do you want to compare that to Asha's personal life. Here is the link. Quite eventful a life, right? Sample this

"At the age of 16, she eloped with 31-year old Ganpatrao Bhosle (1916-1966), marrying him against her family's wishes. Ganpatrao was sister Lata's personal secretary. The marriage failed miserably. Her husband and in-laws mistreated her. After a few years of marriage, Bhosle was turned out (around 1960) by a suspicious Ganpatrao^[6] and she went to her maternal home with two children and pregnant with her third child, Anand. She continued to sing in films to earn money."

Infact there is quite a lot of interesting stuff you can find there on that link. Now, I don't intend to say that Lata should have eloped with someone while she was still a kid to be able to sing better but a job like singing is probably hard to do if you haven't experienced any emotion similar to what you are being asked to present. They don't write lines like "Ashkon mein jo paaya hai, wo geeton mein diya hai" for no reason at all.

Let me look at a few Asha songs that make me go WOW and think what would have happened if Lata would be singing.

Supppose Lata is asked to sing the song "Aage bhi jaane na tu...". She reads the lyrics and she is like, "Hey, what does this mean? What does this talk about?? Uncertainty? Where the hell is uncertainty in life. Is there anything else in life except singing? I think not." A better version for her would be something like "Aage bhi gaana gaoongi, peechhe bhi gaana gaati thi ... yahi zindagi hai nahi aur koi aarzoo" :D

Or lets say Lata sings "Mera Kuchh Saamaan....".. I am sure that if she would sing this song, it would sound like, "Hey, you stole some furniture from me.. Please return it back" :D

And she can't even attempt to sing "Raat Akeli Hai..". Simply impossible.

Or the out of the world songs "Chhoti Si Kahaani Se.." or "Justuju jiski thi.." .. talking of the feeling when desires go down the drain.. an emotion which might be a total stranger to Lata Mangeshkar. Not that she won't be able to sing these but the flair won't be there

Bottom line - Sur aur aawaaz to practice kar kar ke perfect kar leejiyega .. par nasha kahaan se laaiyega :)

And if it is just the voice quality and melody etc, you appreciate Lata for, you got to listen to Shreya. I get a feeling Shreya is better on that front. Not way better, but better. Just that she does not get the same quality of songs to sing, unfortunately. Now this might be a bit of a bias because of the kind of person Shreya is (or the kind of person I think she is :P).

Ok - kaafi ho gaya.. I am sure I am going to get some murder threats pretty soon :D

Ignorance is bliss

A strange kind of magic there was in that darkness
The pen was copying down on paper
The flights of my fantasy

Smiling, and enjoying myself thoroughly,
Unaware of the surroundings
I continued to write my poetry

I waited for that day,
When light will spread on paper
And I will see, and feel proud of,
The result of my creativity

And suddenly one day
Light came from somewhere
Excitedly, I looked at the paper
To see the reflections of the dreamy me

What then, you ask me?
Well, the paper was blank totally
The reason, as I realized after a little while:
The pen, my friend, had no ink

I laughed, till I .....

Bada sambhaal ke rakha hai us kaagaz ko aaj tak
Wo kavita jo kabhi likhi na gayi
Uske nishaan us kaagaz par aaj bhi nazar aate hain

Ye kissa kuchh ajeeb sa hai shaayad
Sunne waale kehte hain
Laane ko nayi syaahi
Aur likhne ko wo kavita phir se

Syaahi to zaroor mil jaayegi aaj bhi
Par un palon ke ehsaas ko kahaan se pakad laaoon,
Phir se

Ab to bas intezaar hai us andhere ka
Jo aayega phir se
Aur us kore kaagaz ko
Kavita bana dega phir se

Note to myself

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, I remembered these lines today.

"No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."

Don't even remember where and when I first read it and who they are from.. sometime way back, though. However I am pretty sure I didn't understand them till today and all I had noticed earlier was the "rhyme" in them. Wow.. poetry is one thing(probably the only thing) that I understand better today than a few years ago. Better only than myself though ... no big claims!! Some recent indulgences have really helped, it seems. I should start reading poetry again.

Aaj maine machhli khaayi

Galti se!

Aye pardes.. aur kya kya din dikhaayega tu?

Ek funda

Almost always:

- People understand you more than you think they do!

- You understand people less than you think you do!

That's good for you, right?

Perspectives

Have to attend a certain didactics workshop tomorrow. A workshop where they teach us how to teach! In preparation for it, they asked for this:

"Please bring along an object that is (or was in the past) important or meaningful to you for whatever reason.It should be a symbol that stands for something. We will use these objects in our round of introductions. Please choose carefully, and think about what you want to say about the object and about yourself."

I put that as my gtalk status asking for suggestions. Here are some of the "suggestions" I got from some friends. Apne reactions to kya hi doon!

1) "Take your degree :) .. it will remind you of your professional life"
2) "Take my pic."

3) "CD of old songs .. since a TV will be too big to carry"

4) "TV ka remote."

5) "Playing cards"

6) "Okay, Okay ... I am not objectifying :) but shreya ghoshal ki photo le ja. "

*Photo!!!!! Hey Bhagwan*

7) [Edit .. by a certain late lateef] so how did the didactic thing go. my suggestion would have been a pic of Shahrukh Khan or Federer

Random

I saw you today after a long time,
Thought of going over to you
Of making good old memories revive

But stayed back, fearing to face a familiar indifference
Yeah, maybe it wouldn't have been as bad
But then this "maybe" is necessary for me to survive


PS: too many words in the second paragraph .. someone has suggestion on how to shorten it and make it more rhythmic?

Escapism :D

God helps those who help themselves
God helps those who can't help themselves
God helps those who don't want to help themselves
God helps those who don't help themselves
God helps

So chill :P


Post taking off from a comment on the last one (to be taken seriously at your own risk)

Opportunities given by the written text

As commanded by vibhav in the comments on the previous post, I had to write a post on this and it has been long due. It got a little delayed because I left for home (am still there). So, here it is. In case the previous post left any misconceptions, let me clarify that I like written mode of conversation a lot.. in fact, I am dependent on it a lot more than you can imagine. In the last post I just wanted to say that written text can be misinterpreted very easily.

Text is like voice for most introverts and its significance cannot be over-emphasised. In fact I think I enjoy writing more than reading, given that what I write is read by people. You might consider this self-obsession. Whatever. So here are some "opportunities" I can think of from the top of my head.

I normally do not argue with anyone for anything and I hardly ever feel the need to convince anyone about my point of view unless the person is very close. In fact I don't have a strong point of view about anything. But there are times when it is fun to argue and to 'win' an argument. Just for kicks. However I am not so very quick with arguments. This is where the written text comes in handy. In college, we used to have newsgroups for internal discussions. There were these certain people who are so so well read that they seem to know everything about everything. Almost. I distinctly remember those occasions when I jumped into some argument and kind of 'defeated' them. It felt real good, you know. I know it sounds stupid and foolish and kiddish and any other adjective you might want to add. But it is a lot of fun.

What else? Well, less things give a smile better than reading something you wrote long back.. or reading some older conversations. The main purpose of this blog is that too. Ek baar kabhi first year of college mein personal diary likhne ka josh chadha tha mujhe. I wrote all kind of things there and it was crappier and hence even more fun than this blog. A few days later I misplaced it and then suddenly got hold of it one fine day a year or so later. The delight on reading that at that time was immense. Don't know if anyone else would enjoy it but I loved it. I regret having not kept my childhood essays. It would have been great fun to read those. I used to write pretty good in those days. At least that is how it seemed to me :D

Writing helps me distil out my thoughts and they become very clear when put on paper. This helps a lot even in research. This is one thing I have learnt from my advisor. Earlier I would find writing out the ideas formally a very boring exercise. While writing proofs formally still gets a little boring at times it is really really helpful to be clear about the thought process.

There are some people I would very much love to talk to but I would never ever go up and talk to. Simply because I won't know how to do so. However writing to them is much easier. At times just reading what these people write is satisfying. I can't explain how. But, for example, the blogosphere helps in this regard. There are a lot of blogs in my blogroll of people I have never ever talked to and probably never will and who don't even know I read their blog. It is still fun. So written text is useful you see.. be it others' or mine.

There are some things that are so easy to say in writing but are very embarrassing or almost impossible to say in verbal communication. Even to the closest of people. I won't elaborate on this, I guess. In fact I think if/when I get married I will end up having a lot of conversation with that certain someone in writing :P

Ok, enough self stripping for the day ... baaki phir kabhi.. ye blog to rahega hi :)

Tag 2

Tagged by Vikram. Rules are there on his blog... not adhering to them strictly but am sure no one minds :)

"Oozing Happiness"
Jaane bin baat ke chhalke jaaye hansi, dole jab hawa laage gudgudi
Sambhloon, gir padoon, arre arre arre tauba kya karoon (in fact the whole song)

"Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things ... blah blah"
Mere haathon ki garmi se pighal jaayengi zanjeerein, mere pairon ki aahat se badal jaayengi taqdeerein, ummeedon ke diye lekar, ye sab tere liye lekar, zindagi aa raha hoon main

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder"
Najaane kyun, hota hai ye zindagi ke saath, achaanak ye mann kisi ke jaane ke baad, kare phir uski yaad chhoti chhoti si baat

"Ignorance is bliss"
Aye kaash ki ab hosh mein hum aane na paayein, bas nagme tere pyaar ke gaate hi jaayein

"Live everyday as if it were your last"
Uthe sab ke kadam ta ra rum pum pum kabhi aise geet gaaya karo, kabhi khushi kabhi gam ta ra rum pum pum hanso aur hansaaya karo

"Passion looks just like madness to the observer"
Apne hi bas mein nahi main, dil hai kahin to hoon kahin main, koi na roko dil ki udaan ko, dil wo chala aa ha ha ha ha ha

"Life goes on"
Gaadi bula rahi hai, seeti baja rahi hai, chalna hi zindagi hai chalti hi ja rahi hai

"Good night"
Kal ki haseen mulaqaat ke liye, aaj raat ke liye, hum tum juda ho jaate hain, achchha chalo so jaate hain

"Chicken egg paradox"
Geet pehle bana tha.. ya bani thi ye sargam

"Mutual admiration society"
Tum kitni bholi ho
Tum kitne achchhe ho
Tum kitni seedhi ho
Tum kitne sachche ho

"Divine intervention"
Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi, yun hi nahi dil lubhaata koi

“Rage against life”
Dekha hai zindagi ko kuchh itna kareeb se, chehre tamaam lagne lage hain ajeeb se

"Wine, women and Song"
Jo maikhaane ja ke main saagar uthaoon to phir ye nasheeli nazar kis liye hai

“Far from the madding crowds”
Chala jaata hoon kisi ki dhun mein, dhadakte dil ke taraane liye

“May the will to live never die.”
Ye jeena hai angoor ka daana, jitna khaaya meetha tha jo haath na aaya khatta hai

“She came. She knocked. I said “Shit!””
Milo na tum to hum ghabraayein, milo to aankh churaayein humein kya ho gaya hai

"Actions. Not words"
Kuchh na kaho, Kuchh bhi na kaho. Samay ka ye pal tham sa gaya hai

Greedy today :)

Jo kehte hain chaahiye bas ik boond paani
Unhein wo ik boond de do
Baaki samundar ka saara paani mujhe de do

Jo kehte hain chaahiye bas kuchh pal shaanti ke
Unhein wo kuchh palon ki shaanti de do
Zindagi bhar ki muskuraahatein mujhe de do

Jo kehte hain kuchh baatein band honthon se hi hoti hain
Unhein unka ji bhar ke khamoshi de do
Saare meethe bol, saari hansi ki aawaazein mujhe de do

Jo kehte hain chaahiye bas thodi si jagah kisi ke dil mein
Unhein wo thodi si jagah de do
Baaki bachi jagah sab ke dil ki mujhe de do

Jo kehte hain thoda hai thode ki zaroorat hai
Unhein unka 'thoda' de do
Baaki saara jahaan mujhe de do

Jo kehte hain mujhe laalchi,
Unhein kehne do, khush rehne do
Bas jo bhi chaahiye mujhe, har wo cheez mujhe de do

Sponti :D

I asked her a question
The lips trembled
Probably in response
But there was no sound
Or maybe there was
That my fear didn't
Want to hear

I closed my eyes
And dreamt a dream
Again the same question
And the same response again
But how could that happen
This was supposed to be
MY dream

Why, O' Lord?
Why do you do this?
Do what you want to with the realities, lekin
Apne khwaabon se khelne ki ijaazat to
Maine kisi ko nahi di thi
Not even to you, O' Almighty.
And yet again the same response,
Trembling lips. Silence.

PS: One line is in Hindi because ijaazat word mein jo feel hai wo permission mein aa hi nahi sakti :)

Trust

In this post(that happens to be the best post on this blog, btw), I briefly mentioned my lack of ability in being able to comprehend the word 'privacy'. 'Trust' is another of the kind. And there are so many others. You might say that a word is just meant to communicate and as long as it does convey what you intend to, the choice of word should not matter. Quite right. But the catch is right there. Does it convey what you intend to? What do you intend to, anyway? What do people intend to say when they say, "I trust you/him/her''. It really confuses me. Let's see what the dictionary has to say to it. I will pick the first meaning -- "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence." So, what does it tell you? I am still confused.

We don't seem to be getting anywhere, are we? Ok, let's ask this question. Is 'trust' transitive? If I 'trust' someone, should I also 'trust' the person he/she 'trusts'. I would guess 'yes'. If you 'trust' someone, why would you not 'trust' his/her judgment too? It makes sense to me, at least, to do so. So, I make this (controversial, probably but seems fine to me) assumption that 'trust' is transitive. Now, this simplifies things, thankfully :)

Consider any reasonable 'trust' model of the world. If you are a cynic you would probably not 'trust' anyone. So, what about the rest of the world. Everyone will have a certain set of close people that they will 'trust'. All those you 'trust' can't be cynics, right? Another assumption, I agree, but not an unreasonable one. Look now, draw a graph to model the world if you want to, and you will see that in all likelihood you will connect to everyone - yes, most likely even cynics, for they may not 'trust' you but you might still 'trust' them. Wow!!!!!!!!! A few simple and 'reasonable' assumptions and things simplify dramatically. So either you be a cynic and trust no one or trust everyone. I choose the latter. You?


PS1: I was going to say 'trust' as an equivalence relation but probably it isn't reflexive. That is another thing to be thought about. I used to believe it is a symmetric relation but of late I have begun to doubt this too. For those of you who have forgotten high school math here is a reminder of the definitions.

PS2: Writing is a good exercise. It helps you distill out your thoughts and makes you begin to believe yourself and understand things better. Some other words that I am so not able to understand what people (or even I, myself) mean when they say are 'love', 'friend', 'hope', 'self-respect' and some others too, probably. As a result I make minimal utterance of these words and question myself of what I mean whenever I do utter them. I guess the main problem is consistency of opinion regarding their meanings ... anyway, will write a post on each of them probably some time in future. Of course not right now, and only if people, on reading this post, don't start to think I have gone mad :)

everything

Orkut says

Today's fortune: Everything will now come your way

Hum intezaar karenge 'everything' ka qayaamat tak. Khuda kare ki qayaamat ho aur 'everything' aaye. :D

Madness revisited - Roland Garros is round the corner

Come Roland Garros, and you see a certain freak going mad shouting all around the place that Federer will win RG this year. This phenomenon has been repeating itself for 4 years now. And this year will be no different. So what if Federer hasn't won any tournament this year. So what if Nadal has defeated Federer on clay twice recently. So what if a certain Serbian is looking just too dangerous this year. So what if Federer has lost this year to players who I could myself defeat(exaggeration is fun). Fanaticism doesn't understand anything.

I know I might have to eat my words like I did for the last few years par girte hain shah sawaar hi maidaan-e-jung mein, wo tifl kya girega jo ghutnon ke bal chale ...

So, yet again, I make a claim that Federer will complete the Grand Slam this year.

Federer has his long awaited date with History on June 8, 2008.

Raza

Khudi ko kiya buland itna
Ki khuda ne khud aa ke poochha, bata teri raza kya hai
Tab samajh aaya, bulandi wulandi tak pahuchna to aasaan tha
Par is sawaal ka jawaab dena mushkil kitna hai
Kaha khuda se, tu kar jo tujhe karna hai
Mujhe to tere khel dekhne mein maza aata hai

Tag-1

Tagged by Vibhav ... and how I have waited for it!

First things first: Almost ever since I got addicted to these three blogs, I have been waiting to get tagged. I saw this game on their blogs and it seems like a lot of fun. So, when I was blogrolled on all three of them sequentially(I am not too sure of the sequence, though) I knew I would get it some time soon..and here it is .. and the title of the post is such in the hope of more. I do get happy over little things .. kya karoon? :). And yes, I am normally pretty bad at expressing gratitude but I'd say this much.. it is quite flattering to know that some people read whatever crap I write ... ok, maybe not everything, ...but dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achchha hai.

Now for the others..What's a tag: Well, this is what I understand from it... It is a game on the blogophere where you can start with anything (quiz, questionaire, wish list, something, anything) and pass it on to people. What do you get? The person who sends it does it (probably) to get to know/hear something from other people. Just for fun. The person who is tagged gets reason to blabber about without having to think much and hence get an increase in the blog count by one. It's a win win situation basically :D

Finally!!

1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
Taare Zameen Par

2. What book are you reading?
Love in the time of cholera

3. Favourite board game?
Carrom

4. Favourite magazine?
The only magazines I ever read are Filmfare and Stardust .. they are good when you are travelling in trains.

5. Favourite smell?
must be some food .. but can't think of anything right now.

6. Favourite sound?
Shreya Ghoshal. Singing. Speaking. Laughing. Anything. I have a big crush on her. Any contact info, anyone, btw?

7. Worst feeling in the world?
Parting.

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
I think I should not go to sleep again. And then I sleep again.

9. Favourite fast food place?
Pizza Hut. I prefer slow food, waise.

10. Future child's name?
if I have to decide it, it will be Muskaan.

11. Finish the statement, "If I had a lot of money, I would...
give it to some one who needs it. I don't."

12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Pass.

13. Storms - cool or scary?
Scary.

14. Favourite drink?
Ganne ka ras. (Writing that in English would rob it of its flavour, you see)

15. 11. Finish the statement, "If I had the time, I would...
give it to someone who needs it. Some people really do, you know. Is time transferable, waise?

16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
Yes.

17. If you could dye your hair any colour, what would be your choice?
Black is fine, I guess.

18. Name all the different cities you have lived in?
Chandigarh (17+ yrs.), Kanpur (5 years minus vacations), Zurich (1.5 yrs and counting), Bombay (2 one-month long stays) and a few month summer stays at various places that are not worth mentioning.

19. Favourite game to watch?
Keeps changing. It used to be cricket when Sachin used to play well. Now it is tennis but only when Federer plays. AOE isn't too bad to watch either though it's been a long time since I did that.

20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Is sensitive and is one of the best unpublished writers I have read. At times I visit blogs just to read his comments on posts. Vik did a good job of describing him with those two words - "Wordenful Vibes". More than one thing ho gaya par chalta hai. :)

21. What's under your bed?
Zameen.

22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Depends on what I get to chose from. If I have to chose from the people who already exist or have existed then it has to be me only. If I could put in some greed, I would like to exchange my voice with Kishore Kumar. Par hansi mujhe apni hi chaahiye.

23. Morning person, or night owl?
Never had a sleep schedule.

24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Both.

25. Favourite place to relax?
Anywhere sunny.

26. Favourite mithai?
Gulab Jamun. Serve them hot, please.

27. Favourite ice-cream flavour?
Butter Scotch, Pista. Vanilla is fine too.

28. Of all the people you are tagging it to, who's likely to respond first?
Everyone.

Tag passes to no one. Everyone who reads this blog regularly/occasionally/accidentally will most likely find this too kiddish ... so no point.

A thought

Kehna zindagi ko bewafa to sab ne seekh liya
Kya hai aur koi iske siwa jo umr bhar saath nibha de?

And today

A song by Avdhoot Gupte for all who have lost their innocence. Successfully.

"Ek waqt tha jab hansne ke liye zarooratein kitni kam thi ..
Aur aaj ...
Ye fark jab mehsoos hota hai to lagta hai
Ki yun manzilon se manzilon tak chalte hue maine kitna kuchh paaya hai ..
Lekin kho di sirf ek cheez ... maasoomiyat

Oonchaaiyon ke khwaab the, oonchi thi saari manzilein
Aur har manzil pe milti, aur saari manzilein
Manzilon se manzilon tak, bhaagte ye raaste
In raaston mein kho gayi, maasoom muskuraahatein

Likhta to pehle bhi tha, aur aaj bhi likhta hoon
lekin aaj kal sochne laga hoon likhne se pehle ki
chalega.. nahi chalega.. hit hoga ... nahi hoga
Pehle main apni marzi ka raja tha
Likhta tha apne liye .. sirf apne liye

Janm lete roz nagme, aasmaan ko dekh kar
Kaagazon pe raat behti thi sitaare odh kar
Shaam dhalna, din ka chalna .. sab tha mere vaaste
Ab na hai wo raat din .. bas manzilein aur raaste
Manzilon se manzilon tak, bhaagte ye raaste
In raaston mein kho gayi, maasoom muskuraahatein

Pehle koi jhoothi dosti karta bhi to kisliye
Kya tha mere paas
Par ab agar sachcha dosti ka haath bhi aage badhe
To lagta hai
Ise kya chahiye mujhse, ye kyun dosti karna chaahta hai mujhse

Aaj kyun har muskuraahat jhooth lagti hai bada
Dosti ka haath bhi lagta hai kuchh lene badha
Haath daaya aaine mein haath baaya kyun lage
Ye aaina bhi mujhse kuchh hai chaahta, aisa lage
Manzilon se manzilon tak, bhaagte ye raaste
In raaston mein kho gayi, maasoom muskuraahatein"

Ghar se masjid hai bahut door

Have been listening to this ghazal by Nida Fazli since morning.

"Ghar se masjid hai bahut door chalo, yun kar lein
Kisi rote hue bachche ko hansaaya jaaye

Humsafar koi to ho waqt ke veeraane mein
Sooni aankhon mein koi khwaab sajaaya jaaye

Roshni ki bhi hifaazat hai ibaadat ki tarah
Bujhte sooraj se charaagon ko jalaaya jaaye

Gam akela hai to saanson ko satata hai bahut
Dard ko dard ka hamdard banaya jaaye "

Each line is awesome. The third stanza is especially superb. So, if you feel like the setting sun, remember to do your duty before you vanish. :)

Observation/crap

Most (probably all) of you must have seen something similar to what is written below between the lines somewhere on the web at some point of time. That is an advertisement for "Attitude", whatever that word means

--------------------------------------
What according to you are the important things in life?


Expected responses: Money, Luck, Family, Friends, Hard work, Joy, Education, Career, Respect, Love, Aptitude etc etc etc


Now replace each letter in the alphabet by its position in the alphabet


A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, G=7, H=8, I=9, J=10, K=11, L=12, M=13, N=14, O=15, P=16, Q=17, R=18, S=19, T=20, U=21, V=22, W=23, X=24, Y=25, Z=26.

So, what do the words add up to:

MONEY = 13 + 15 + 14 + 5 + 25 = 72

LUCK = 12 + 21 + 3 + 11 = 47

HARD WORK = 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 22 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 97

APTITUDE = 1 + 16 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 96

You can add up the others accordingly.
Then see what ATTITUDE adds up to.

ATTITUDE = 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100

In all likelihood, no other word will add up to 100.

Conclusion: 'Attitude' is the most important thing in life

---------------------------------------------------

That "all-likelihood" claim at the end is fun, isn't it? I thought of a few words that also "add up to 100" .. I am sure there are at least a hundred more

In no particular order, they are: STRESS, STATUS, WRITING, TELEPHONE, CULTURE

Any conclusions, anyone???

PS: No judgements about me please .. this was just a random observation.